Translator: Tuiwen Editor: Tuiwen
After dinner, Little Treasure’s parents took him home. But first, the young boy bid Fu Qing and Zhan Cheng farewell. He waved at her as if nothing else mattered.
Fu Qing looked back at their receding backs as they walked toward the door. Suddenly, a look of sadness passed over her features, and she felt dismayed.
She’d grown accustomed to Little Treasure’s company over the past few days, and the boy had left so quickly. She realized she’d have to spend the next few nights on her own again in the empty villa.
Zhan Cheng and Li Ying also stood up to say their goodbyes. Fu Qing jolted awake from her stupor and hurriedly rose to face them.
Fu Qing received an unusual phone call three days later. When she answered, she realized it was Zhan Yuv on the line.
“How’s it going, Dad?”
Fu Qing could tell Zhan You wasn’t in a good mood as she listened to his voice on the other end of the receiver.
“Are you available today? Come home. I need to see you.”
“I’m free right now. Should I ask Qi to join us?”
She was taken aback for a moment. Zhan Yuv rarely called her because Zhan Qi would usually tell her the news if his father wanted them to come back to the Zhan Residence. What was it that prompted him to call her today?
On the other end of the line, Zhan Yuv’s voice had an icy tone to it that made her flinch. “There’s no need to tell him. Just hurry over. I’ll call Qi and ask him to follow shortly.”
Fu Qing was stunned for a few minutes and sighed unevenly. She stripped down to her undergarments and changed into a gracious and dignified ensemble before requesting the driver to send her to the Zhan Residence.
When she arrived, the servant informed her that Zhan Yuv was in the study waiting for her. Fu Qing climbed the stairs and knocked on his door before entering.
“Come in.”
Zhan Yuv’s surly voice sounded from the study.
“Dad, it’s me,” Fu Qing said as she pushed open the door.
“Shut the door behind you.”
Fu Qing sat down after closing the door, still unsure of what was going on. Zhan Yuv’s glum expression caught her attention when he tossed an envelope from the top of the desk in front of her.
“Dad, is there something wrong?”
When she opened the envelope, she saw herself chatting and laughing with a young and handsome man.
The guy in the picture was Little Treasure’s father. Fu Qing ran into him while shopping at the mall the other day, so she stopped and struck up a conversation with him. She never thought someone would take an interest in snapping a picture and giving it a different meaning.
She clenched her fists furiously in annoyance. Even a fool would have figured out she’d been duped.
Fu Qing gave Zhan Yuv a full explanation of the man’s identity.
He just snorted, as if he didn’t believe her. “Does Qi know about this?”
“He knows Little Treasure’s parents have already taken him home,” Fu Qing admitted honestly, “but Qi was busy that day and couldn’t meet them face to face.”
“Now that everyone in the Zhan family knows you’re having affairs with other men, you can tell Qi about it.”
“I’ll definitely do it. God knows I’m not doing anything wrong, and Qi has faith in me.”
“Does he really trust you?” Zhan Yuv inquired, a strange laugh escaping his lips. “Where did you get the money to spend on lavish restaurants and high-end shopping malls?”
“Zhan Cheng and Li Ying know that the money I have comes from my stock investments,” Fu Qing answered calmly.
“However, someone claims they saw you steal your family’s calligraphy and paintings and sell them at an antique market for a large sum of money.” Zhan Yuv’s dark eyes scanned her face intently. A hint of resentment could be seen in his gaze.
“What? Why would I do that? How is that even possible?” Fu Qing wondered aloud, her face flushed with consternation.
Zhan Yuv curled his lips in open distaste. “Show me a report of your recent expenditures. I don’t mind if you have to sell some calligraphy and paintings, but I can’t have liars in my family. If you can tell me where you got all your money, I’ll believe you.”
Fu Qing remained silent, but she was visibly humiliated. Her face was crimson with resentment and shame.
She fished for her phone and showed Zhan Yuv her recently purchased stocks, which had skyrocketed in value.
She still had over 600,000 yuan left after making a profit of over a million yuan. “Look at this, Dad,” Fu Qing said, pointing to the amount and explaining, “This is proof that it’s my own money.”
Zhan Yuv, on the other hand, was adamant about not making a coherent statement to exonerate her. “Since that’s how you put it,” he said, his gaze fixed on the screen, “you can explain it to Qi yourself. He’ll drop by later.”
Lunch that day was once again hosted by the Zhans.
However, the atmosphere was not as pleasant as it had been previously.
When everyone arrived, Zhang Xue abruptly exclaimed, “Qing, you are blooming by the day and look more beautiful now.. Doesn’t your outfit cost a fortune?”